This invention relates generally to chargers for electronic devices, and more specifically to chargers with mechanical supports for cellular telephones.
Cellular phones are becoming more and more popular. Advances in technology have made phones smaller and more affordable. In fact, as of 1999, it is not uncommon to get 500 or more minutes of talk time per month for less than $25. Often, in order to sign customers to annual contracts, companies will actually give away cellular phones. As a result, while cellular telephones were once only used by the wealthy, they are becoming commonplace across all sectors of society.
Cellular telephones require batteries for portability. Rechargeable batteries are employed almost exclusively in cellular applications, as they can be recharged several hundred times, thereby saving battery replacement costs. The types of batteries in use differ quite considerably, however, due to the different demands of the users. For example, some people use phones only for emergencies. In this sense, they only talk on a phone for a few minutes per month. They are therefore able to get by with a small battery with limited energy storage capacity. A small, thin battery is preferred because it makes the phone smaller and lighter. Small phones are more easily carried in a pocket or purse.
Other users, like salesmen, may talk on cellular phones for many hours a day. Since they do not want to constantly recharge a battery, they might prefer a bigger, more bulky battery that has a higher energy storage capacity. Manufacturers like Motorola Inc. provide extended capacity batteries for their popular phones like the StarTac series. These larger, more bulky, yet higher energy batteries are often called xe2x80x9cAuxiliaryxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cAuxxe2x80x9d batteries. They typically offer two to three times more capacity than do smaller, slimmer batteries.
In the end however, all batteries, no matter what size, must eventually be recharged. They can be charged in a number of ways. Some phone manufacturers, including Nokia and Motorola, sell power supplies that can be connected by a wire to the phone. People, however, often prefer to have a charger that can be placed on a table or desk. Companies therefore sell chargers that are designed to sit atop a desk and hold a phone while charging. The charger generally has a pocket into which the phone is inserted. Sometimes, the charger will have a second pocked for charging a spare battery.
The pocket must provide mechanical support for the phone. The phone typically sits in an easily viewable, upright position that allows it to receive incoming calls. A problem arises in that different batteries, slim and aux for example, cause the phone to take on different shapes, or form factors. For example, when a thin, low capacity battery is connected, the phone may only be 1 inch thick. However, when an aux battery is attached, the phone may now be 2 inches thick.
Chargers, in order to be versatile, must accommodate all the batteries that can be attached to the phone. One way to provide mechanical support is to provide a pocked large enough to accommodate a phone with the largest battery attached. Using this scheme, neither the phone nor the battery is supported by the plastic of the charger. Instead, the phone and charger have interlocking connectors. When the phone connector mates with the charger connector, the connector itself is responsible for providing the mechanical support. This scheme is illustrated in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 394,423. The problem with this scheme is that the connectors are generally not robust mechanical supports. They sometimes break, rendering the charger useless.
There is therefore a need for a charger with means for supporting a phone that accommodates a variety of battery sizes.